THERE have been renewed calls for a banking hub to be set up in Lisnaskea.
The town has been without a bank of any kind for a year now, with the Ulster Bank closing last March.
At the time Cllr Eddie Roofe, pictured below, approached LINK – the body responsible for banking hubs – about potentially setting up a banking hub in Lisnaskea, and now he has submitted a motion to the Council calling for a full review of this application.
The motion, which was due to be heard at last night’s March meeting of the Council, acknowledges the recent ‘Access to Cash’ review by the Financial Conduct Authority.
It calls for the Council to write to LINK “emphasising the damage to the wider East Fermanagh area that the closure of the final bank in the area has caused.”
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Cllr Roofe said the Fermanagh needed “Lisnaskea to have a strong, stable economic platform.”
“Unfortunately, due to the rules at the time, Lisnaskea was not deemed to be a large enough town to warrant a hub,” said Cllr Roofe.
“To appeal this, I approached the leadership team at LINK, who directed me to an open consultation looking at changing the rules.
“Following the publication of that consultation at the end of 2024, I believe the new rules are much more favourable to somewhere like Lisnaskea, which has a very large rural population that relies upon the town.”
He added, “A banking hub would provide a location in Lisnaskea for residents and business owners alike to speak to advisers from multiple banks. Thereby, actually improving the access to cash and services beyond what had existed when Lisnaskea only had one bank remaining.
“A success story like that would be a welcome change from the often bleak outlook for rural communities.
“I hope that all parties across the chamber can support this, that the review is successful, and that in the not-too-distant future, we get to celebrate the opening of a banking hub in Lisnaskea.”
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